Study on Formulation of Master Plan on Sustainable Use of Fisheries Resources for Coastal Community Development in the Caribbean

 

In this unprecedented study that covered 13 member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and required cooperation with regional organizations, IC Net was asked to examine coastal fisheries management and the diversification of fisheries in a comprehensive fashion and promote proper use of fisheries resources in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname.

Although many CARICOM member countries manage their fisheries resources with the assistance of foreign donors under CRFM initiatives, neither the fisheries resource management system and budget structures nor the fisheries resource management policies are sufficiently developed. In addition to each national fishery resource management scheme, a joint management scheme for migratory pelagic fish species and other shared resources is required among concerned countries in the region.

IC Net was commissioned to 1) Analyze the situation in fishing and rural villages, potentials and constraints of development, and needs of community members; 2) Identify effective schemes for fisheries resources management and sustainable development, and verify the feasibility of those schemes through the implementation of pilot projects; 3) Enhance the policy making and problem analysis abilities of the CRFM Secretariat and fisheries authorities as well as fishers’ organization personnel through various studies and the implementation of pilot studies;  and 4) Formulate a master plan for the sustainable use of fisheries resources in the region that includes a coastal resource management scheme with cooperation between government and communities, and recommend practical resource management activities.

The scope of the study included the following: (i) development and management of pelagic resources; (ii) formulation of an aquaculture development policy; (iii) development of a regional fisheries database; (iv) support for community based management; and (v) education and training of staff members of various fisheries authorities and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat.

IC Net assessed the state of fishing villages as well as the needs of their residents and formulated a Master Plan for sustainable use of fisheries resources in the Caribbean region in cooperation with governments and fishermen, and issued recommendations on fisheries resource management activities.  Please click here for the final report.